The first group blog by school leaders for school leaders, LeaderTalk expresses the voice of the administrator in this era of school reform. (Find LeaderTalk's complete archives prior to Dec. 16, 2008, here.)

We ARE the system

Facilitate learning environments that are respectful, empowering, and engaging for students

Create workplaces that are respectful, empowering, and engaging for staff

Prepare students for what is and will be, not what was

Build trust, not erode it

Be buffers, not barriers

and so on…

We can point fingers. We can blame others. We can rail against the system. But we must recognize that we are in charge of the system. In essence, as stewards of school organizations, we ARE the system. We create the system every day.

We must point those fingers inward. We must blame ourselves before we blame others. We must recognize the impacts of our own actions rather than always blaming external factors. Only then does real progress occur.

Principals, superintendents, curriculum directors, technology coordinators, and educational leadership professors: Are you ready to take responsibility for your own decision-making? Our students and staff deserve better…

[Inspired by yet another tale of woe by practicing educators about their poor leadership – and by my own recent failings as a professor.]

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